PLACE: - ATHARA HAZARI DISTRICT JHANG

DATE: - 26-09-2010

NUMBERS OF PATIENTS: - 1078

HEALTH FACILITIES IN PAKISTAN
In Pakistan medical facilities are very limited one doctor is for more then 7000 people. In this situation many untrained doctors play with the lives of patients. Specially in villages it is common that a person spends some time with doctor and when he learns how to inject and gets little knowledge about medicines, he opens own clinic and start practice on very cheap fees. Poor and illiterate villagers who have no information about health and hygiene and have no money to pay heavy fees of a qualified doctor so they go to the quack and get medicine only for low price and get even worse with this medicines.

HEALTH CONDITION IN FLOOD AFFECTED AREAS
The situation became more critical when the heavy monsoon rains and flood affected more than 25% area of the Pakistan. Thousands of villages and more then 21 million people are affected by this disaster. They lost their every thing. Their houses have been destroyed and they are living in camps. The NGOs and government are providing them food and shelter and are also trying to supply them the good medical facilities.  As the Harmony Foundation is striving for the best medical facilities for every one on their door step so we continue this activity in flood affected areas also.
Harmony Foundation organized a medical camp in Athhara Hazari with the support from Light for the World and Dark and Light Blind Care and the local facilitation of Caritas Pakistan Faisalabad.

HF TARGETED AREA:
Harmony Foundation had already distributed the emergency relief goods in Athara Hazari district jhang so the DDRO (Deputy District Revenue Officer) suggested us to arrange free medical camp there. Harmony Foundation staff conducted a quick assessment of the areas to identify the diseases and situation of the local communities regarding health. The area where we arrange free medical camp is far from the city area. The local community is very poor and the education ratio is only 2%. Torrent is passing from the area but down areas are still under water and the mosquitoes and other insects are rapidly growing in the area. The people of the area have no money to go to the city area for better treatment and due to long distance from the city, medical facilities were already next to none before flood and now no development organization arranged there medical camp except distributions. Harmony Foundation is only organization who assessed their need for health. The animators of Caritas Pakistan Faisalabad helped us to arrange the medical camp.

MAJOR DISEASES
The water gathered in deep down areas is increasing the number of mosquitoes and others insects which are main reason to spread the diseases and on the other side contaminated water is spreading the infected diseases. The major diseases we found in the area are;
SCABIES, CHEST INFECTION, MALARIA, FEVER, DIARRHEA, ABDOMINAL PAIN, EYES INFECTION, BP (HIGH), DYSANITARY PROBLEMS, AND SOME OF PILES CASES ALSO.

LOCAL CONTRIBUTION
 
The local community was very cooperative they helped us in way of;

• Before we reached to the area they announced by speaker about free medical camp and many patients came from the other villages
• They arranged the tables and chairs for medical camp.
• The local community provided us place for medical camp and they cleaned the place